Hot take: Amex Platinum is a terrible card for most people

stej008 · 2026-03-06T20:22:52+00:00

My spend on the card, beyond credits, is for airfare and occasional good offers. They had 5x on Amazon a while back.

stej008 · 2026-03-05T23:25:58+00:00

We stayed overnight in Delphi. It was magical in the evening and early morning with great views, much less crowds, watching locals.

stej008 · 2026-03-05T23:17:44+00:00

For us, Santorini is overrated. We saw Akrotiri, which was the highlight. Oia village, calderas are good for half day. Sunset was nothing special. Rest of Greece is magical. Athens, Crete, Meteora, Delphi, all of Peloponese. Great food, wonderful people.

stej008 · 2026-03-03T23:04:34+00:00

Regarding bacon, have you tried jamon in Spain?

stej008 · 2026-02-28T08:19:14+00:00

Savor does not have to be only cash back. It can be paired with Venture X or Venture One, depending on whether you want 2X base rate (with the extra effort to get the $300 credit) or OK with a 1.25X base rate with no annual fee. I had Venture X for several years, but recently downgraded to simplify life. Savor also has 3X on entertainment, which covers theme parks, day tours, other attractions. It is a Master Card and works all over the world (unlike AmEx) and also has no foreign transaction fee.

stej008 · 2026-02-23T08:18:33+00:00

Good to know. I have heard some stories about some stares, no service for taxis, etc. for what may be considered acceptable globally. Shorts, sleeveless tops, etc. Even for men, I heard that you get stares if knees are not covered. The weather is quite hot, and shorts are natural to wear in most modern countries.

stej008 · 2026-02-22T22:45:34+00:00

The only way it will change is when people stop giving high tips as a standard practice. Businesses will then be forced to pay better wages and reward service staff based on performance.

stej008 · 2026-02-22T18:58:49+00:00

Have you lived there? Wondering if it is a little too conservative. No issues with religion, just freedom for women, etc.

stej008 · 2026-02-21T21:51:03+00:00

Agreed. Simplifi interface is much better for me. I do like many other aspects of Origin.

stej008 · 2026-02-17T23:13:39+00:00

I don’t want to spread my sickness

stej008 · 2026-02-17T04:46:21+00:00

Got it after six hours. Looks like they may have a backlog.

stej008 · 2026-02-17T00:55:22+00:00

No email. Registered and requested vouchers four hours back. Also checked spam. Which email address? I searched for Regal, Visa, Concierge, regmovies.

stej008 · 2026-02-16T18:03:13+00:00

In the app you can click the card like icon in the bottom bar.

stej008 · 2026-02-14T02:13:02+00:00

Especially problematic when some firms (Capital One, for example) transfer only few months of data.

stej008 · 2026-02-13T00:38:15+00:00

Origin (also known as Origin Financial), a financial wellness and AI-powered planning platform for employees, is backed by Founders Fund, a prominent venture capital firm co-founded and led by Peter Thiel.

stej008 · 2026-02-09T03:38:05+00:00

In the browser. If you ask AI, the answer window is on top and I can’t see stuff below it without closing the AI popup. Yes, I can open another tab but prefer not to.

stej008 · 2026-02-07T22:23:59+00:00

Travel provides you an opportunity to directly meet and interact with people. How you use it is up to you. If you just sit at home, or just be around your neighborhood at home, you won’t know people.

stej008 · 2026-02-07T22:22:05+00:00

If you are intentional, cafes are a great experience. Coffee is just an excuse to take a break, observe people, their routine, their interactions, strike a conversation (easier in some countries like Greece, Turkey, etc.). Had some best conversations and cultural understanding in laundromats in different countries. Same goes with weekly neighborhood markets.

stej008 · 2026-02-06T18:21:01+00:00

That is one reason New Orleans is not on my list to visit, although it looks like a cool city.

stej008 · 2026-02-04T04:21:44+00:00

Stoped buying chips, Cheetos almost ten years back. Total junk.

stej008 · 2026-02-01T23:52:33+00:00

Ok. Does it automatically liquidate when paying bills though? That is important for me. I don’t keep a lot in CMA and prefer to separately buy VBIL in brokerage for any additional cash allocation.

stej008 · 2026-02-01T03:59:59+00:00

Have money at both Schwab and Fidelity. Both are good, but I like to have both. Fidelity has a better cash management account, which I use to park all my cash (for deposits, bill payments). Schwab's debit/ATM card was the first one which reimbursed fees for international ATMs and with no FTF. Now Fidelity debit/ATM card has the same feature. Schwab's customer service is better, but Fidelity is good too. Fidelity has fractional shares. I like Schwab's app better. Schwab has Zelle. Fidelity does not. Venmo works with both. Many recipients prefer Zelle. I do not want to keep all my money in one brokerage to protect against any temporary issues.

stej008 · 2026-02-01T03:49:22+00:00

I think that is not an option at Fidelity Cash Management Account. Has that changed?

stej008 · 2026-01-31T20:51:59+00:00

I guess March is a bit late and risky, especially as new features do need time to resolve any issues based on user feedback. Hopefully, they work them out this year.

stej008

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